Health and Safety Alert: Remain Vigilant for COVID-19 Related Scams

Event: The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns individuals to remain vigilant for scams related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cyber actors may send emails with malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or donating to fraudulent charities or causes. Exercise caution in handling any email with a COVID-19 related subject line, attachment, or hyperlink, and be wary of social media pleas, texts, or calls related to COVID-19.

The first and best source of authoritative information on COVID-19 is http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html where visitors will find information on the virus itself, situation updates, and tailored information for audiences including communities, schools, and businesses, as well as others.

Reminder: U. S. Embassy Nairobi strongly recommends that U.S. Citizens and nationals enroll in STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, at step.state.gov. STEP enrollees receive important information from the Embassy about health conditions, safety alerts, and travel updates. Enrollment enables the Embassy to contact you in the event of an emergency. If you have previously enrolled in STEP, we recommend that you log into your STEP account to ensure your details are current, your country of travel information is correct, and that you set your departure date as ‘indefinite.’ These steps will enable you to receive all our embassy messaging. For any immediate need, U.S. citizens in an emergency can call 1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada or (plus) 1-202-501-4444 from overseas.